"Not a Minivan Mom"

"Not a minivan mom" is kind of like when you were pre-kid and said "I'll NEVER give my child candy", or "I'll never let my kid watch TV". Until you have one, how do you really know?! It's like saying you don't like salmon without ever having tried it.

Forgive me, but the worst drivers I've encountered in my life...were moms in minivans.

Honestly, I think they are ugly vehicles. That aspect doesn't make me think anything of the person driving, though!! I'm not a minivan person, because they don't aesthetically appeal to me. MOST people I've known who own minivans, didn't actually need all that space. Just an excuse to have room for more junk, is what it seems. Again, I don't assume that about anyone. It's just my experience with the people I've known.

I don't need my car to fill some need in me...or to say something about my personality. I don't have a minivan, but to me they are just practical if you have 2 or more kids. Some people have to have a "cool" car because it is like an extension of them or something.

Well, let's see ... I'm a Home Depot-haulin' mom, a throw-the-surfboard-in-the-back mom, a tailgate-party-in-the-back mom, a yes!-I-can-put-that-piece-of-furniture-in-the-back-mom AND an is-that-porta-potty-still-in-the-back-cause-I-gotta-GO mom.

Used to bag on mini-vans. 'Til I owned one mom. ;)

Ok, I HATE mini-vans and have NEVER been a mini-van person - and before everyone jumps on my case - it has been MY experience that the moms driving them have been extremely rude!!!! It never fails that they will pull up to a walkway, door, etc., and drop the menagerie of kids off instead of parking the freaking thing and walking everyone over to the door. They'll take up everyone elses' time to unbuckle, etc., all the kids and then stand there and make sure everyone gets their books or whatever and makes it to the door of the building. OR, even worse - the mom is too darn lazy and won't even get out of her precious seat to help the little kids and everyone has to wait till little Johnny figures out how to unbuckle his carseat!!! It's as if they think they're "special" because they have a boatload of kids!!!!

And THE worst - is a mom's butt will be sticking out the door because she's buckling up little Mary and Johnny and it never fails that she's either totally oblivious to anyone around her or it seems she's forgotten HOW the seatbelt works when I'm trying to get into, or out of, my parking spot!!! This has happened SEVERAL times; the last time this happened I was so frustrated I just started pulling out (after waiting a minute) and she finally realized her big butt was in my way!!!

Sore point?? You betcha!!!!

And yes, I have kids but I drive a station wagon. And yes, I ALWAYS park and escort my children when necessary.

I drive a Toyota Sienna minivan. We got it when the Honda CRV was too small for 2 children and all the things we needed for a full, fun day out as a family. When we had our third we were beyond thankful to have the room for all 3 and all of our gear!
We don't like to be home. We like to go out. We need room for beach chairs or coolers or fishing rods or bikes. In fact we installed a tow hitch to have a bike rack on the back.
There was no way we were going to get a truck to carry all of our stuff around, those things have the worst gas mileage and we could think of a hundred better things to spend that money on then gas for the car. The minivan gets terrific gas mileage, it gets around the same as many nice cars. There would also not be room for all 5 of us in a truck where as there is room in the minivan for everyone.
We can fit all of our groceries. We can run several errands in one run to save on time and gas, making sure the perishables are the last thing before going home.
We have the 8 seater so we can carry 3 other people if we need or want to which means we all save on gas by carpooling and we can enjoy things with friends and family without having to keep track of a million extra cars and waiting until everyone catches up.
I see a minivan as someone that loves their family and spending time with them. Not wasting money or time so there is more to use for more important things.
Ours is 8 years old and going strong! Getting near 100K miles now. We didn't get the DVD player or all the bells and whistles and we love it that way! When it comes time to replace it we will be getting another Toyota Sienna minivan.
I don't understand why people are so hung up on "appearances" and poopoo minivans. They are fantastic and have many very good reasons for existing.
ETA: Oh yeah..and our minivan drives just like a car. I have seen people in those big old SUVs and trucks have to pass on parking spots because they can't get into them and we are able to zip right into them with no problems, we often don't even have to back out to correct or do 3 point parking.

I have always been very curious about this as well. I just have to laugh at some of the answers. Most of the moms I know either drive a minivan or an SUV. I've driven my husband's SUV from time to time, and the minivan is so much better for younger kids. It's easier for them to get in and out, the doors open with the touch of a button, the doors don't swing out (and hit other cars in the parking lot).

Maybe it's because I've never cared about "style," but I just find that the most ridiculous reason to buy or not buy a certain vehicle.

I know some people just think it isnt stylish enough. When I had a sedan I was frustrated I couldn't take two kids and their friends anywhere (no children in front seat!) Then I got a mini van and not only could I take kids and friends, it made long trips much better! Each child got their own bench and never argued! Now we can drive my 82 yr old parents as well as 3 kids to family events like reunions and weddings. I really have no choice but to keep driving a minivan.
And it's easier to get kids out of a sliding door then having your door open into the next parking space while you get a small child out of a car seat. I hate when I cant pull into to a parking space because the person next to me has their door open into my space, the minivan sliding doors much better. As a short person, I love being up high when driving, I can see great! It just felt different the first time. I look at cute little sedans all the time, very envious, but then our family would need to take two cars to big family events, waste of gas!

I personally feel that moms who drive minivans are much more secure in themselves. Its hard for me to understand why anyone would not want something that would make life so much easier. I believe you should own who you are at each stage of your life. Parents who refuse a minivan BC of image are in denial. Hello-You are obviously a parent! I especially crack up at the moms in their bad jeans,sneakers and just overall tacky selves who think they are so 'cool' because they drive an suv.

I chuckled when our friend turned in his sports car for a sleek red (of course) minivan. Never say never when you have kids and gear, IMO. Frankly, our minivan drives well, carries a lot, and I like it more than I ever thought I would. DH got it before we got married as the family vehicle as a single dad. I was intimidated by the size but quickly got past that. It's not a full sized van, even though it says "grand" in the name. I see minivan drivers as practical, family or hobby oriented (or both), and straight-forward.

Most of the parents I know driving minivans are busy, intelligent, fairly fit people who know their own minds and don't mind being called dorks. :)

I've always said that a minivan is like a fanny pack: Practical as hell but not so cool!

I used to make the same statement in my twenties- I've actually said "I'll never be one of those mini van moms...the ones that climb out wearing a Fanny pack and a cheese curl stuck to her butt..." Then I had my third child....then my fourth....Hello Honda Odyssey!! I still refuse to get a Fanny pack- but I may have had a cheese curl or two stuck to my butt before:)

No more climbing over seats...room for friends...I'm a proud mini- van mom!

I think that the parents who don't buy mini-vans do it so they don't ever have to take their kids friends anywhere! "Sorry, you can't bring a friend, there's no room in the car(:"

I refuse to be a mini van mom, it just isn't me. Even now pregnant with my fourth I refuse to even consider it. Everyone is entitled to their own preference.

I love my (sorta) new Acura MDX but there are times when I miss my old Toyota Sienna!!!
It was the road trippin' beach goin' campin' tail gatin' party car that's for sure! I miss the interior room, the mileage (my SUV is killing me) and sliding doors.
And even though my husband initially complained that it didn't drive and handle very well (he's a sports car nut) even HE had to admit it was great for all of our family road trips, from the mountains to the beach to the desert, that thing took us places with room to spare. Good times :)

I hear that a lot from people driving SUVs, but I don't find an SUV any more stylish than a minivan. They're all frumpy utilitarian vehicles. I drive what suits my needs (have a small SUV, a minivan and a 4-door sedan).

On the other hand, if you're driving a sports car, go ahead and call me frumpy! ;-)

Well I didnt see the first response. Yes I love my mini van. We have 3 kids and I really enjoy driving my mini van. It fits 7 people. My last van had automatic doors which was great when my kids were babies. Now my current van has manual doors. I am able to drive my kids friends.

For me...I like my minivan. I am not trying to be cool. I am trying to be a mom! I have three kids. We play soccer too! My husband is the coach and plays, my two boys play. I was nannying....there is just no way that I would have been able to live without the minivan.
I don't like SUV's. I feel like they are HUGE and I can barely park them. I also feel like they use more gas.
For me...I see minivans everywhere. I am not trying to prove anything to anyone.
L.

I vote Minivan over SUV any day of the week. I have 3 kids. We love the minivan. SO practical. Anything smaller would be crowded.

I never thought I would want a mini-van, but here I am really wanting one for our next vehicle! For me minivan says "kids". I don't like SUV's and what other vehicle can you have that can transport kids??

We bought a Subaru when our daughter was born and now that we have another child there's no room for anyone but us! So if anyone comes to visit you have to take two cars. If any of the kids' friends want to come along we have to take two cars. When we go camping we're all jammed in between camping gear, pillows, bags of food. It's ridiculous.

I don't care what anyone thinks of minivans, or me when I'm driving one... I want one!

Who is born a minivan person? I did not grow up wishing I could drive a minivan someday lol. Now with 3 kids and inflation going up, it's what works. I guess I can wish I had a Cayenne, but I choose to be happy with having a nice car that we can all fit comfortably in.

It says "dorky" to me. (Sorry ;)

I'm in love with my Honda Odyssey and would love to have a brand new one even though my kids are 18 & 15! So I get it . . .

It's got the dorky mom stigma. But I really just think of them as highly practical, non gas guzzlers.

I just went throught this last year. I test drove a few cars/minivans and I really liked the Odyssy and the Sienna, but they just felt so BIG. I ended up with a Volvo wagon so that I could have storage, fit in 3 car seats and still have cargo room. I don't feel like I am driving a delivery truck. I think its just me because I don't like to be too high up and I don't want to drive too much vehicle. So, I am "not a minivan mom" mostly because I am a wimpy chicken. :)

I want a minivan desperately! I begged my husband for one when we bought a new car 8 years ago. We only had one child at the time, and my husband was very anti minivan. Instead, we bought a Chevy Equinox. I remember the sales guy showing us that we could fit three car seats across the back if we ever needed to. We both laughed....now I'm kicking myself. We now have three kids, and could never fit three car seats in there. It has three latches for them, but I think that's just for rearranging purposes. Luckily our oldest was coming out of the booster by the time #3 came along. I still wish I could have convinced my husband to go for the minivan. The backseat is like a war zone when they're all back there. Enjoy yours!

Please don't shoot me - When I see mini van I think (for right or wrong) Frumpy, given up on style, dirty, crumbs, trying to impress people with how "practical" i am, settling on a vehicle.

I honestly have no room to judge though. I love station wagons (always have - drove them before I had kids!!) and SUVs so what does that say about me, right - LOL.

When I was young having a mini van just meant you were all mommed out. They just weren't cool. Now a minivan driver myself I know that I am not perceived as cool, but I know that I'm smarter than the cooler moms in SUV's because I don't waste as much money on gas. I'm also more comfortable traveling with my kids. But to be overly concerned about being cool past 30 is a lame as anything. I accept my lowered coolness factor with grace because I know something that a lot of cool people will never know- mini vans are awesome from the inside. I even judge other moms who drive them as being less cool. But I am confident in who I am and thats why I am able to bite the bullet.

I guess I would fall in the "not a minivan mom"...but I don't have any reason to not be one. I just prefer my 4 Runner! I drive the Runner into the ground and then buy another...just because it's what I like. I don't have to cart other kids around. Hubs Avalanche has plenty of room for road trips...we even take our dogs with plenty of room.

Just never considered buying one. I don't agree though that it's financially minded. Sorry!

ETA: Before I get hate PMs...I don't think that my 4Runner is financially minded either...but it's been paid for for two years...I have had it eight...and is low maintenance (knock on wood)....

It says I can't fit my 4th child on the top of the car, lol.

With 3 kids we did 3 in a row in a car and I would not drive a mini-van (too bulky, hard to see), but with 4, here we are!

It was purely practical. We still have 3 carseats in a row across the second row, and one in the back, middle.

For me, the move to minivan (if I don't actually have the physical "need for space" with more than 3 kids) says "I have lost all definitions of myself except for 'mom.' " Let me stress, that's how it feels TO ME. I actually don't see that in other minivan owners, but that's how it feels to me. I guess when we make the minivan move I'll just have to keep going until I have at least 4 kids so I have a "good reason" to have a minivan. :)

I know a lot of cool parents, that drive minivans.

We have one.
My Hubby didn't want one at first, but it is useful. So we got one.
He is NOW, a real minivan lover.
Because, it can do and hold so many things!
Who cares if people have a minivan stigma or not, or a stereotype against it or not.
We love our minivan!

I'm just not comfortable driving something that big. Perhaps it's because i'm short waisted so when I sit in a car my view of the front and back is not that good. I actually have to put my arm around the passenger seat to haul myself up a bit when I back up. My last car was a hatchback and it took me awhile to adjust to my forester!
After 8 weeks of dropping off and picking my son up from summer camp I have to agree with Purple Mom.

In my mind it says - 'I am not concerned about our natural resources, sustainability or climate change'. I also find them ugly and they make the roads unsafe for people driving around in smaller, more earth friendly vehicles (based upon the simple laws of physics, when a big vehicle collides with a small vehicle, the small vehicle loses. When two small vehicles collide - way less force and hence less damage). How are they financially minded? Driving a vehicle getting 30-40 mpg is WAY more financially minded. Of course I know lots of nice people who feel the need to own them and I don't offer my opinion unless asked.

WOW - the alternative is an SUV? I didn't know that. I thought the alternative was a regular old car - which is what DH and I drive. As did my parents who had 3 of us kids.

ETA - they do make station wagons.Audi, Mitsubishi and Dodge all make wagons with reasonable mileage. Mercedes makes one with pathetic mileage.

Yeah, I have one because I'm practical. I have 2 kids (and we might have another some day) and three large dogs. I consider myself very Green, and VERY environmentally conscious, thank you very much, but when I just had one child, I had a Mazda 3 and it was physically impossible to take our whole family to the park. We had to take two cars to do it. When the second child came, I knew we needed something bigger, with more storage space for visiting the grandparents, and enough room for the whole family.

I don't really consider my minivan an image problem. People know I'm a mom, right? Actually, I hate SUVs. I can't stand the way they drive, and I hate the way you have to choose between a third-row or a full-sized trunk. My minivan has been wonderful - exactly what our family needed. And if I have a third child, I won't have to buy a new car!

My Volkswagon Routan minivan is MUCH cooler than my parents' 1985 Chevy Caprice Classic Station Wagon that I drove when I was in high school (1996-1999), until I bought my own car (1988 VW Jetta).

My husband has the cool & sexy car, and it is FAST and I get to drive it on date nights, or any time his car is blocking me and I want to run a quick errand. I feel so much younger when I drive his car. I now "get" why some people need that kind of a car.

LOL, I just joined the minivan mom club a few months ago. I LOVE my minivan and could care less what anyone else thinks of it. I was a pretty "interesting" kid in highschool, etc (heavy metal still rules) and now my parents get a great laugh over the fact that me and my brother both now have minivans :0)

We have four kids. I didn't grow up with a car, so the status symbols that people assign to cars are lost on me. Of course I have a minivan, what else would I drive having so many kids? I've also owned conversion van--which.was.AWESOME!--and a station wagon. Now there's a car I wish would come back into style, I have a certain fondness for station wagons. I drool over the new Ford Flex.

I was a punker in the 80s, too. I eschewed all forms of "I wear this designer so I'm better than you". My husband is a dead head. It's a miracle none of the vans have had peace signs painted on them, but Bobby can often be heard blaring from the car speakers ;p

Cannot stand the thought of driving a minivan...I drive a Nissan Versa...Compact, but it works for my family of four and the trunk has enough space for when we're on the go...Price tag was small as well and the gas mileage is FANTASTIC! Hubby drives a Kia Rio...same story...

Mini-vans do not speak to me, so I have no idea what they say!? LOL!

It just comes down to personal preference. My husband is a major car enthusiast. He does not like how mini-vans drive. We recently rented a brand new Town & Country when we were on vacation and that confirmed what we already knew--it did not drive well at all!

I have a 7 passenger SUV and hubby has a full-size truck.

The people with 1 kid and a mini-van crack me up:)

Minivans just look ugly and dorky in my opinion. If you need one then get one, but most Suvs have 3rd row seating. I associate them with fat people...sorry.

We are talking of getting a minivan but not because of our kids..we want it for our dogs. We have a great dane and a mastiff that we love taking places and a minivan would make it so much easier to do so that my suv or our kia. lol

Lillym here it is =D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUG3Z8Hxa5I&feature=yo...

oh man I soooo wish i was computer literate enough to first Find that commercial on youtube for one of the minivan brands that had the mom and dad that had alittle song about how cool they were, but they werent. it was really funny.

please someone remember that commerical.
i'm also not cool enough to link it if i could find it.

we went the Suv route but I have me some minivan envy.

I hate minivans but I did drive one while my daughter was younger.

I will tell you this, after we sold it we got sport luxury cars. Now every time we have a big run for Home Depot, etc, we have to rent the home Depot truck whereas we used to take the seats out of the van and come on home.

Hubby laughs at me because I have a 2 seater and if I have the top down which automatically goes into the trunk, I can barely bring home a few bags of groceries!!

The minivan served a great purpose for us while we had it.

ETA: I 2nd PurpleMom. The rudest drivers I have encountered while in my sport car has been women in minivans and older men. It's amazing how some women in a minivan will "play dumb" to force you out of a lane or something. Maybe that is just how it is here and not generally all over the US.

I have owned five different minivans, none of them have made me think any of those things.

It says to me I have to have room for a lot of kids and this is a reasonable way to haul them around.

As soon as my kids started driving I didn't get another because lets face it, they are crazy expensive. So practical would be a smaller car that gets better gas mileage. Pretty sure that would hit the financial note.

So to me I don't own a minivan because I am not spending another ten to fifteen thousand to have room I don't need.

What are you talking about they aren't pretty, they are no more or less pretty than any other car most people drive. Pretty sure no one around here is driving a performance car.

We just have one child and live close enough to school to walk so I didn't get a minivan. At the time we bought the car I use hybrids were just on the market. Very expensive and a really long wait to get one so I got a Hyundai Tuscon. Prior to that I had a VW Passat wagon. I loved the idea of that car but it was so unreliable (from the day I got it) and expensive so we traded it in. The Tuscon isn't 4WD because I haven't done any driving to warrant it and it's a stick so gets better gas mileage than other cars available at the time. As far as a mini-van, if I needed one I'd get it.

I am a Hockey Mom and I would LOVE to have a minivan!!!! All my friends have them. They fit so many kids, equipment and stuff!

Yikes! I might have been one of those comments you're talking about, lol.

I'm not a minivan mom~ I drive an SUV. I have nothing against people that drive any kind of car. Me, personally, I wouldn't drive a minivan...I like the look of an SUV. Also, the comfort.. I'm sure the comfort of a minivan is a lot more comfortable, but I don't like the look of a minivan at all.

I just can't drive them because they're too high off the ground and I get panic attacks. My husband has one, though.

I have a crossover SUV, so not as much of a "gas guzzler," fits 7, very practical, AND looks good.